mikey287 wrote:To be fair, the Penguins were "trapping" as much or more than the Devils in the first two periods I thought. We sit back and play a 1-2-2 when we dump it and feels there's a less than 50-50 chance we can win possession. The Devils collapse back deeper to their net than we do, but that's not trapping.

The games against the Devils are always a test of the Pens patience. When they get the first goal they get better. When we get the first goal we may or may not start opening up even more. When we do, we play into their hands.

So, stylisticly the edge will always tend to be with the Devils.

Hedberg being strong early allowed them to do exactly what they wanted.

People complain about the Devils style, but then complain that the Pens can't shut teams down. The Devils play the way people moan about either way.

mikey287 wrote:To be fair, the Penguins were "trapping" as much or more than the Devils in the first two periods I thought. We sit back and play a 1-2-2 when we dump it and feels there's a less than 50-50 chance we can win possession. The Devils collapse back deeper to their net than we do, but that's not trapping.

Collapsing back towards the net is a strategy that has been effective against the pens for many years now.